After local footage of fiery wreckage falling from the night sky over Yemen appeared online, US officials confirmed to Reuterson Wednesday that it was authentic, and further it was the second such US drone shoot down in months.

It is believed that Shia Houthi rebels, still in control of Sanaa, intercepted the drone through a surface-to-air missile. The prior incident occurred in June, which the Pentagon has blamed also on Iran for providing outside assistance to Houthis on the ground.

A Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saria, touted the drone downing as part of an increasingly sophisticated response to foreign aircraft in the country's skies: "The rocket which hit it was developed locally and will be revealed soon at a press conference," Saria said in a statement. The group's official Al-Masirah TV identified the aircraft as a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper Drone.